This is an article on the nation of Nex. For information on the person of the same name, see Nex (person).

Nex (pronounced NEKS)[1] is a cosmopolitan realm on the southeastern coast of Garund, filled with arcane wonders and ancient scars. It was established by the mighty wizard-kingNex, who vanished four thousand years ago.[2]

Contents

History

The nation now known as Nex grew up around the ancient citystate of Quantium. With the emergence of the legendary archmage Nex during the Age of Destiny, Quantium experienced a rapid rise in power and soon dominated the surrounding area.[2]

War with Geb

In -892 AR,[3] Nex's territorial ambitions brought him into conflict with Geb, the neighbouring kingdom to the south. Thus began Nex’s legendary conflict with the necromancerGeb that would change both wizards and their nations forever.[2]

The war between the two powerful wizards lasted over 1,000 years, as each had found methods of greatly prolonging his life. Geb’s magic devastated the land of Nex with powerful necromantic magic; the cities were protected but the rural areas became a barren wasteland that remains to this day.[2] The land between the two nations become so thoroughly contaminated by their fighting that it was permanently transformed into the spellblighted desert known as the Mana Wastes.[4]

Facing starvation, Nex enlisted the aid of the renegade druid Ghorus to create a new form of plant life that could survive the blighted landscape. These plants did indeed sustain the population of Nex but over the centuries evolved into a sentient plant creature known as the Ghoran. [5]

Disappearance of Nex

In 576 AR,[3] Geb launched a potentially decisive attack on Quantium, covering Nex’s capital in a lethal fog which killed thousands of its citizens.[2] Nex fled into the demiplane known as the Refuge of Nex, and has not been seen since.[6] The lesser wizards of Nex somehow managed to keep Geb from conquering the country in Nex’s absence, and the war eventually petered out. Over time, an uneasy truce was brokered, and eventually trade was established between the two nations. Today, Nex imports most of its food from Geb, as its own land has still not recovered from the devastation of the war.[2]

Government

Government in Nex has been a chaotic, complicated process ever since the archmage Nex disappeared over four millennia ago. Nex’s rule had been unquestioned, but when he disappeared, the country was thrown into chaos.

Since then, a variety of strange sects, arcane cabals, and cults of personality have ruled the country, each claiming insight into what the archmage's plans were for his abandoned nation. The external threat from Geb finally united the country enough to spur the creation of the Council of Three and Nine, a ruling body which still tries to unify the various squabbling factions.

Nex's current government that is mired in bureaucracy and political infighting Despite these weaknesses, Nex has never been conquered, and there are no signs of the Council of Three and Nine faltering.

Some factions—most notably the Arclords of Nex—clamour for a resumption of the war against Geb on the grounds that it must surely be the will of the archmage to destroy his ancient enemy.[2]

Geography

Nex was devastated by the centuries of magical warfare between the two powerful wizards. All the lands outside of the magically protected cities were blighted by Geb's magic, turning them into a barren wasteland. These lands are now inhabited by tribesmen, outlaws, and the descendants of the magical beasts unleashed by Nex during the war (many of them created in the fleshforges of Ecanus).[2]

Some hardy animals still survive in these barren lands however, including the territorial Axe beak.[7]

Settlements

Nex's towns have been in existence since the Age of Destiny, although some have weathered the time better than others. They are among the most cosmopolitan in all of Garund, with the capital of Quantium rivaling Sothis at the height of the ancient god-kings.[2]

Inhabitants

Arcanists

Nex is also home to the largest assembly of arcanists in the Inner Sea region. They are drawn there by its magic-friendly government and its unparalleled magical resources. Some of these individuals come to Nex to study the dead magic zone of the Mana Wastes, hoping that exploration of the area will lead to a breakthrough in the understanding of the fabric of magic itself.[11]

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